Chapter 1: Crossing Over & Acknowledgement
On a secluded path overgrown with weeds, a sturdy middle-aged woman was angrily pinching and pulling the arm of a tall and thin man, walking forward. Behind them, a raggedly dressed and stumbling child was following their steps.
The woman’s sharp voice resonated with great penetrating power, scaring away birds perched on the branches.
“Are you a fool? A debt-collecting ghost sent by the heavens? If someone doesn’t want you, kneel down and beg, right? If he still doesn’t agree, then go and die in front of his house. Why come back to your parents’ home? You have no shame. Our Hua family still wants to save face. Do you think you, with your face full of pimples, have the qualifications to pick a decent family? Not to mention those bumps on your face, just look at this little demon with multi-colored eyes! Do you think anyone would want you? He, Qu Qing dared to molest you. If he doesn’t acknowledge, just stubbornly stay in his house. I don’t believe he’ll dare to deny it!”
The man’s lips turned white as he resisted and pleaded with the woman, almost on the verge of tears, “Mother… I’ve already been driven out. He won’t accept me. If I get kicked out again, I’ll die. Please don’t drive me away. I’ll do any work, and in the future, the food expenses for me and the child can be reduced by half. I beg you, mother… don’t drive me away.”
The woman’s footsteps paused, she turned to look at him, and with a complicated gaze, she reached out to touch his hair. Her eyes fell on the red cloth ribbon tied to his hair, his only dowry and wedding attire for today.
She said, “Gou-er, don’t blame your parents for being heartless. We’ve raised you until you’re eighteen, and you’ve also fed this little monster you brought home for four years. This is already considered benevolent and righteous enough for anyone in the ten miles and eight villages. Besides, where in the world is there a reason for a ger* not to get married? If you can’t get married and stay in your mother’s home, it’s shameful and disgraceful to our ancestors. Moreover, if people see you, an old ger, living at home, bringing along a burden, who would dare propose marriage to our family? Don’t you consider your brothers and sisters?”
[ger: men who can give birth and have a mark in between their brows as an indication.]
The man, called Gou’er, tightly bit his lower lip, unable to refute a single word. Waves of sorrow surged in his heart.
There was a moment of silence as they stood in place.
At this moment, the child, who had fallen several times and had cuts from the broken stones, but still persistently chased after them without crying, finally had the chance to catch up. The child secretly raised his head, quickly glanced at the man’s direction, then lowered his head again. He quickened his pace, walked to the man’s side, avoiding the woman, and tightly grabbed the man’s hand on the other side. The small, ice-cold hand trembled uncontrollably.
Feeling the child’s fear, the man squeezed his hand even tighter.
The woman coldly glanced at the frail, dirty, injured child, her eyes unmoved to the sight. He was not her child, and they had no blood relation, so she felt no sympathy. She continued speaking:
“You know the situation at home. Your sisters are married, your eldest brother is getting married, and your two younger brothers are about to marry. The family can’t afford to support two extra people anymore. Mother doesn’t want to scold you or drive you away, but she has no choice. Qu Qing may not be a good person, but at least his family has some land. Follow him, be his servant, serve him tea, pour water, massage his shoulders and back, endure his beatings and scolding, as long as he lets you stay and gives you a meal to eat, at least… you won’t starve. Do you understand?”
Gou-er looked at his mother with unprecedented tenderness, but there was no joy in his heart because he knew he was about to be completely abandoned. That’s why he was treated so kindly. However, he would rather be like in the past, being treated like an ox, and constantly working day and night, beaten and scolded. Say what you want about him being lowly, but at least, he had a home.
The village children playing around noticed the red cloth on his head and saw his spiritless ugly face. They immediately understood what was happening and laughed loudly and exaggeratedly.
“Everyone, come and see! The Hua family’s dog is going to be given away with the little demon. Ugly freak and little monster! Even if given for free, no one would want them!”
The woman angrily drove away those little brats and pulled her son to speed up her steps towards the corner of the mountain.
Gou’er stumbled forward in a daze. In the past, if someone dared to insult his Mao, he would fiercely confront those kids like a protective mother hen scolding her chicks. But today… he no longer had the energy to pay attention to such things.
He didn’t even know if he could safely get through the day with Mao.
–
Qiu Qing lay in a daze. Before he woke up, he smelled an unpleasant body odor, making him wish his sense of smell would fail at this moment. His body felt heavy, and he struggled to control it. After some time, he exerted the strength to open his eyelids. The first thing he saw was thatched… roof?
This realization startled him, and he sat up abruptly, staring around with wide eye. In the dirty and cramped room, apart from the wooden bed beneath him, there was only a lame square table and two benches, plus an old and broken cabinet that barely qualified as a decent furniture. Most of the other things looked like some junk.
The uneven walls made of mud bricks seemed on the verge of collapsing at any moment. The thatched roof allowed sunlight to filter through, creating scattered patches of light on the floor. His chest heaved violently, and he didn’t know how to react to this situation.
He was ready to get out of bed and go outside to have a look, when he felt something unusual as he placed his hand on the bed. Lowering his head, he was shocked to see that the bed he slept on was actually made of straw, and the blanket that covered him was not only thin, but also exuded a bizarre stench. It was almost as if it hadn’t been washed for hundreds of years!
Qu Qing, who loves cleanliness, felt a sense of despair. After composing himself, he pretended to be calm and put on the tattered shoes with holes at the front. As his foot entered, an unpleasant sensation struck him. Bending down to take off the shoes, he noticed the dirty mud and sand inside. Suppressing his disgust, he shook off the dirt and reluctantly put the shoes back on, got up and surveyed the dirty and messy environment around him.
Walking outside with the door wide open, it was evident that it was almost noon. The yard, about two meters high, was enclosed by mud bricks, also open to the outside. The previous owner seemed unafraid of theft, but considering their impoverished state, thieves probably wouldn’t bother. He thought, who would fear theft when the family was this poor? With such musings, he found a pear tree in the yard, blossoming with white flowers and a breeze carrying the warmth and chill of early spring.
He stood in the yard and observed the surroundings. Behind the house was a large mountain covered in beautiful purple and red wildflowers, it was hard to tell what kind of flowers they were, but they revealed the natural beauty of wildness everywhere. The air was refreshing, which temporarily eased a little bit of the bad mood caused by the harsh environment that he had seen when he first woke up.
Next to the house, he found two more rooms. Upon entering, one was, as expected, a messy woodshed and kitchen. In a corner, there was a big jar. Opening it, he found rice inside, probably only about a third left. Although not much, it should be able to make do for a period of time. Suddenly, he noticed something moving inside the rice. Upon closer inspection, there were rice weevils, and quite a few of them!
Qu Qing, who had a good upbringing, had the urge to curse for the first time.
With a bang, he closed the lid of the rice jar and took a deep breath.
Calm down, I need to calm down!
Turning to the other room, he pushed open the door, finding it covered in dust. This room had only a small, high window. In the center, there were several clean bags filled with various items. Compared to the impoverished surroundings, these bags seemed out of place. He went over to take a look at them, and found that they were filled with the seeds of three crops: potatoes, corn, and rice.
Looking at these things, he instantly remembered the small advertisement he saw on the wall before crossing over:
“Sincere Recruitment, Excellent Benefits, Annual Salary of One Million, Five Insurances and One Fund, Private Estate, Beautiful Companion, Retire after Ten Years of Work. What are you waiting for!”
If it weren’t for being at a dead end, he wouldn’t have spared that advertisement a second glance. At that time, he went, thinking it would just be a matter of sacrificing his life, testing his luck. Maybe there would still be a way out.
The mysterious person told him that he would never deceive anyone, but explained that the one million annual salary was pre-tax, deducting living expenses and taxes. So, the actual amount in hand would be only 300,000 yuan. The money could be paid in a lump sum, but an essential point needed prior clarification—the location and nature of the upcoming ten-year job were unique. It was in ancient times, living like an ordinary person, with no assistance, relying solely on his abilities to survive. There was an additional condition: the money he saved during the ten years could be exchanged for the equivalent value in modern currency based on purchasing power.
Qu Qing was almost certain it was a scam halfway through the explanation, perhaps even a scam from someone with a mental issue. However, when he heard that the money could be paid in a lump sum, a spark ignited within him. He agreed to give it a try but insisted the money be paid upfront.
To his surprise, the person readily took him to the bank, swiftly transferring three million to his account, and granted him five days. After five days, the job would begin.
At that time, he didn’t actually believe it, but due to a strange unease in his heart, he immediately went to the hospital and paid off his hospital debts and future expenses for his mother’s hospitalization for the next ten years. Then, he entrusted all the remaining money to a friend, and asked him to visit his mother every year if something happened to him.
On the fifth day, when he woke up and confirmed he was still in the modern world, he assumed the mysterious person must be someone with a brain problem. He was considering checking on that person, quietly gathering their contact information, planning to tell them that he would return the money in the future. However, upon seeing the other party, he lost consciousness, vaguely hearing words like “the seed is ready.”
It seems that the food he sees now is the seeds for this year.
Now he feels a bit relieved that he made arrangements in advance. Otherwise, if he had suddenly disappeared and arrived here, what would happen to his mother?
Recalling the conditions mentioned in the advertisement, he matched them one by one. A million annual salary, well, it’s actually three hundred thousand, but let’s assume it’s true. Five insurances and one housing fund, the other party seems to have had him sign a similar contract, so let’s assume it’s true. Private estate – he searched and found several land deeds for this shabby thatched house plus a few acres of land. Let’s assume it’s true. Overall, although the environment is terrible, the conditions mentioned in that small advertisement are surprisingly true.
Now, he just needs to endure for ten years. If the situation is good, he might even be able to earn some money to bring back.
Having recognized the environment and his current situation, he quickly moved on from the disparity between imagination and reality. Rolling up his sleeves, he prepared to give this dilapidated and dirty home a thorough cleaning when suddenly, a woman’s shrill voice came from outside the door.
“Qu Qing! Come out for this old lady!”
Qu Qing was a bit surprised. How did the people here know his name? It was only then that he noticed that he still didn’t know whether he had crossed inside someone else’s body with his soul, or whether he had crossed over with his body. Without time to think about it, he walked out and saw a middle-aged woman standing outside, along with a man whose hair was tied with a red cloth, and a timid child hiding behind the man.
As soon as the middle-aged woman saw him, she put on a fierce look and roughly pushed the man beside her toward Qu Qing. Qu Qing, seeing that the man was about to fall, instinctively took a step forward and supported him. Frowning at the woman’s actions, he asked, “What do you mean by this?”
The woman was surprised to see that he would take the initiative to help her son, but she also felt that this matter was likely to be a play.
The man who was helped up by Qu Qing seemed to be frightened by his displeased tone, and instantly cowered for a moment, looked up at him, then buried his head and took a few steps back. The child saw this and dared to go over and grab his hand, continuing to hide. From the direction he was hiding, Qu Qing could see that the child seemed to be afraid of him.
At the moment when the other person looked up, he saw that the man had a lot of pimples on his face, which was very unattractive. However, Qu Qing himself had once had them, so he didn’t show much expression when he saw it.
The woman raised her voice three times, “What do I mean? I want to ask you what you mean! You defiled my son’s innocence. Today, you either acknowledge it or not. I’ll tell you, my son has entered your family’s door. Whether alive or dead, he’s your family’s ghost. You must acknowledge it today!”
The middle-aged woman finished speaking and left, leaving her son and the child behind.
Qu Qing looked at the child, who seemed to be three or four years old, and thought the original owner’s son was actually this big?
Wait a minute!
Is this child actually the son of this man? Otherwise, how could there be words like “defiled innocence” and “acknowledge”? It’s too surreal, but when you think about it, since crossing over has become a reality, a man giving birth to a child doesn’t seem that surprising.
He suddenly remembered that last sentence from the advertisement. Beautiful companion… it seems there is one. As for beauty…
Let’s just assume this is true. Counting all these conditions, that mysterious person didn’t seem to have completely deceived him.
Qu Qing sighed slowly, turned around, and walked into the house. After a few steps, sensing no movement behind him, he turned to the two standing outside and said, “Come in.”
The two outside were both stunned.
–
